Nightmares
by Muuntoo
Summary: Casey's cousin Jaime comes to visit him on one of Casey's days off from working on Smackdown. They discuss some of Casey's issues at work  sort of  and relieve childhood traumas.  OC story


Casey sighed as he stopped walking and leaned against a nearby tree. Usually walking in a place like this helped take his mind off things, but today it just wasn't working.

Being shy he hated showing his emotions around strangers, so he mentally cursed at himself as he felt tears starting to trail down his cheeks and angrily wiped at them with a newly bandaged hand.  
>He pulled a face at the sudden pain that shot through his hand, Casey had forgotten he'd hurt it, and slowly lowered the injured hand, using his other to wipe the tears instead.<p>

Too busy trying to regain control of his emotions, Casey hardly noticed that his breakdown had attracted attention. People in the park stared at him as they passed, yet none of them were kind enough to ask if he was ok. A couple of people commented to their friends and family about the grown man who was leaning against a tree, in tears. Sure Casey was an adult, but that didn't mean he suddenly wasn't allowed to have emotions.

When he'd finally managed to stop the tears, Casey slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, selected a number and typed a message before pressing send. He waited for a few more minutes for the reply and then went and found an unoccupied bench to sit on in a mostly people free area of the park and waited.

Roughly twenty minutes later, the person he'd sent a message to arrived and sat on the bench beside him.

"You're late..." Casey mumbled, still upset.

"I'm right on time actually."

Casey smirked and looked up at his older cousin "You said you'd be here in ten minutes, not twenty."

His cousin raised an eyebrow "Excuse me Casey, but you're the one who chose to sit in the hardest spot to find in the park, not me. I spent the other ten minutes just looking for you."

Rolling his eyes, Casey couldn't help but smile slightly; his cousin always had to be right and felt the need to justify his every action.

"Jaime how is it that you haven't changed a bit since I last saw you? It's been what...almost ten years now?"

Jaime raised his eyebrow again. "Ten years? And whose fault is that huh Case? You're the one who came down here to America to finish high school..."

"As an exchange student..." Casey added, butting in.

"Is that what you call it? You didn't come back after you finished. Do we scare you that much huh?"

"Not you, no one's scared of you Jaime..." Casey teased.

"At least I'm scarier looking then you!" Jaime replied, flicking part of Casey's chin length, platinum blond hair. "I don't look girly..."

Casey frowned, sulking. "That's mean. I didn't choose to look like I do."

Seeing the immature look on his cousin's face, Jaime just laughed "Oh come on Casey, I was only joking. You know I'm not like that."

"What you mean like the rest of those jerks out there who make my life hell because I'm 'pretty'?" Casey said angrily, sounding as if he was going to cry again.

Jaime noticed his cousin was close to tears and put an arm around his shoulder, pulling him into a hug. "Aww Casey..."

"Well at least you understand...most other guys are jerks, assuming I'm gonna do something like flirt with them." Casey vented.

"Well I know you wouldn't flirt with me regardless of how you are, seeing as we're family. But yes, they shouldn't be jerks."

Casey sighed, calming down a little again. "Why does pretty much every guy I talk to have to be a homophobic jerk...?" He asked sadly.

Jaime frowned when he saw the look on his cousin's face, realising how much the people Casey was referring to had hurt him. Remembering the message that had made him come to the park in the first place, Jaime asked "Casey...is this what the message you sent me was about...?"

The message had Jaime had gotten from his cousin barely explained anything, merely saying _'I could really use your support right now, meet me at the park...'_

Casey didn't respond for a few minutes, but eventually nodded slowly.

"What happened Case, was it some guy at a bar...?"

"Jaime..." Casey sighed. "You know I don't go to places like that anymore. I've barely drank at all lately."

"Since that thing with Alex...?" Jaime asked without thinking.

Casey suddenly sat up, pushing his cousin's arms off his shoulders and moved away to the other end of the park bench.

Jaime swore at himself inside his head for being an idiot. He knew Alex Riley was still a sore subject with his younger cousin. Casey had after all, been with the guy for most of the past ten years he'd spent in America; before he'd accidentally hurt Alex while drunk, causing the end of their relationship.

"Damn, sorry Casey..." He mumbled as his cousin glared at him.

He waited for a few minutes until Casey had moved back closer to him again, before trying again.

"So what _did_ happen then?"

Rolling his eyes at his cousin's mistake, Casey decided to finally explain "Well for starters, it was at work. _Not_ a bar Jaime. You know that other Canadian guy I told you about?"

"You mean the cute one that sings?"

"What...? N-no, not him!" Casey quickly replied, looking away to hide the fact that he was blushing.

Jaime noticed and grinned mischievously, like Casey he was interested in other guys, but the difference between them was that Jaime was also interested in girls; something which Casey had never been.

"But you like the one that sings?" Jaime guessed.

Jaime watched as Casey covered his face with his hands; a habit he'd had since childhood. Jaime knew his cousin only did that when he was embarrassed, meaning the answer was yes.

"Oh Casey geez, stop that." Jaime tried to pull Casey's hands away from his face but it didn't work, his cousin was as stubborn as he was shy. He gave up and decided to just wait until Casey eventually lowered his hands, as he waited Jaime looked at his watch.

"Damn it," Jaime sighed. As soon as he did so Casey uncovered his face, looking up at his cousin with a curious expression. "I've gotta go Case, it's later than I thought; I don't want to be late for my work meeting."

"Work?" Casey questioned, raising an eyebrow at him.

Jaime rolled his eyes and sighed. "Yes Casey work. I did tell you that I was coming down from Canada for a business meeting..." He explained and gestured to the grey suit he was wearing.

"So it wasn't just so you could see your favourite cousin?" Casey asked, sulking immaturely. He'd known the real reason Jaime had come down to Tampa, but the two always teased each other.

"Oh Casey," Jaime laughed. "You know I always like visiting you, I really have to go though. I'll drop by your house when I'm done ok?" He stood and held his arms out, waiting for a hug.

Casey stood and hugged his brown haired cousin, frowning slightly when he realised Jaime was more than a head taller than him.

Growing up they had always been roughly the same size as Casey had been tall for his age. He'd even been taller than Alex Riley when they'd first met in high school; only Casey had stopped growing earlier than most of the people he knew, now both his cousin and his now ex Alex, were taller than him.

"Wow Case, what happened?" Jaime teased, noticing the reaction to the height difference. "I thought you'd be taller, or at least still the same size..."

"Oh soosh you, go away. Go to your meeting _'Mr Business man'_." Casey teased back, gently pushing Jaime away. "I'll see you later."

"Bye to you too Casey." His cousin laughed before turning and leaving.

Jaime was sitting on the couch in Casey's lounge room, his back leaning against one arm of the couch, his feet resting on the top of the other. He put his phone back down on the low coffee table after replying to a message from a business colleague and went back to reading his book. Casey had given him a key to the house when they'd briefly met up again during a break in Jaime's meeting, not knowing when the meeting finished. Casey had figured it would be easier in case he fell asleep which, Jaime realised when he arrived, Casey had.

He'd chosen not to bother his sleeping cousin, choosing instead to relax after the long meeting he'd had, sighing when he remembered that he still had a whole week of meetings left to sit through.

Casey rolled over in his sleep, whimpering quietly in response to a dream. He had the same dream, or what he'd more likely call a nightmare, often and did not like it one bit.

The dream itself was one of his childhood memories, only the way it bothered him, replaying in his mind as he slept, it had become a nightmare.

"_Casey!"_

_Five year old Casey stood up, stopping his drawing and turned around slowly as he heard his name being called. He smiled when he saw his cousin Seth, who was five years older than Casey was. _

_His Aunt and Uncle often came to visit, so Casey got to see his cousins so much they may as well have all been siblings. _

"_Casey, come play!" Seth said as he ran up to Casey, his younger brother Jaime following behind him._

_Seth stopped in front of his blond cousin. They were five years apart, but Casey was tall for his age and was almost the same height as him. As Jaime stood beside him Casey laughed._

"_I'm as tall as you Jaime." _

"_No fair," The eight year old Jaime sulked. "I'm older."_

"_Grow taller then." Casey teased, sticking his tongue out._

"_You grow shorter." Jaime replied, sticking his own tongue out._

"_Just come play!" Seth said impatiently._

_Casey nodded and followed his cousins as they ran downstairs. _

"_Boys, don't run in the house please." Casey's mother reminded them as they ran into the lounge room._

_The three boys stopped and looked over at the couch where Casey's parents were sitting with Seth and Jaime's, their mother holding their little sister Hailey, who wasn't much more than a year old and still learning to walk._

"_We're gonna go outside to play, aren't we?" Seth suggested to the other boys._

"_Yeah!" Replied both Casey and Jaime. _

"_Ok boys," Casey's mum said. "But be careful of the pool ok? We haven't put the fence up yet."_

"_I can swim real good Aunty!" Jaime said proudly. "I've been taking lessons."_

"_Yes you are very good Jaime, your mother tells me you're top of your class." _

"_Uh-huh. I am." Jaime grinned._

_Seth rolled his eyes. He could swim, just not as well as his brother; having chosen football over swimming lessons. "Can we go out now?" He asked, impatient as ever._

"_Yes, just be careful," Casey's father said, nodding. "Casey can't swim yet, so don't go too close."_

Casey rolled over again, knowing where the dream would eventually come to, but he was unable to wake himself from it.

_Later on Casey and the two older boys were playing with toy cars outside by the pool. They were happy, laughing and joking with each other; until Seth got angry._

"_You crashed into my car!" Seth snapped at Casey._

"_It was an accident Seth." Jaime told his brother, Casey nodding in agreement._

"_You always crash into mine…" Casey mumbled, not liking being snapped at._

"_Why do you always talk so quiet?" Seth said, snapping at him again and flinging Casey's cars away from his own. "That's why you don't have friends!" He added, teasing his cousin._

"_Hey…" Casey whimpered as his cars went flying. "That's mean." He stood up, tears in his eyes._

"_Well it's true Casey. I heard your mummy telling mine you have no friends."_

"_Seth stop it…" Jaime warned his brother._

_Seth stood as well, staring at Casey angrily. "You gonna cry now?" He said, continuing his teasing. "You're such a baby Casey."_

"_Am not!" Casey said, stomping his foot as tears fell down his cheeks._

"_Are too!" Seth snapped back at him, shoving his younger cousin._

"_Seth!" Jaime yelled, finally getting the attention of the adults inside._

_Casey stumbled backwards, letting out a cry when one of his feet didn't find any ground where it should've been._

Thirty year old Casey cried out in his sleep, causing Jaime to pause his reading for a second.

He looked up from his book, thinking he'd heard a noise, but when he didn't hear it again Jaime shifted; getting comfortable again before going back to his reading.

_Casey saw Jaime cry out, everything seeming to be in slow motion as he fell. He wasn't able to stop himself, but he saw his parents and his cousins' running outside. Seth's face suddenly looked shocked, almost as if he hadn't meant to do it._

_He tried to let out a scream, but just as he opened his mouth to do so, Casey felt his back hit the water of the pool and he was suddenly underwater, his arms and legs flailing madly as he tried to avoid sinking. Casey hadn't had any swimming lessons at all, but he kept kicking his legs, hoping it would help. _

_Casey's eyes were stinging from the chlorine in the pool, but he refused to close them, still desperately trying to make it too the surface. His chest was stinging too, when he'd tried too scream he'd ended up with a mouthful of the bad tasting pool water instead. He was getting tired, his arms and legs slowly stopping their flailing and his vision going black as he body gave up, he hadn't been able to hold his breath because he'd tried to scream instead. _

_The last thing he saw was a rush of bubbles as someone jumped into the pool. Right after his eyes closed he felt something touch his hand._

Casey woke, crying out again as he suddenly sat up, sobbing.

This time Jaime was sure he'd heard something and got up, heading down the hall to Casey's room. He opened the bed room door and quickly went over to Casey, who was sitting with his head in his hands, crying.

"What's wrong? Are you ok Casey?" Jaime asked, putting an arm around his cousin's shoulders.

Leaning against Jaime, Casey didn't respond, his body shaking as he cried.

"Casey?" Jaime asked, worried as he realised Casey was shaking.

After a few minutes, Casey had calmed down enough to be able to speak again.

"D-dream…" He sobbed, breathing heavily.

Jaime frowned, suddenly remembering Casey had often complained of a recurring nightmare after almost drowning. He hugged his cousin closer, gently stroking Casey's blond hair as he tried to calm him down.

"You still have that dream?" He asked softly.

Casey nodded, slowly moving his hands from his face, still in tears. "Some-sometimes…"

As he sat there, comforting his cousin, Jaime suddenly remembered that day Casey had nightmares about.

"_Casey!" Jaime cried out, reaching for his cousin a few seconds too late, looking at Seth angrily as Casey hit the water. "Why'd you do that?" He snapped at his big brother._

_He heard their parents scream, some of them yelling at Seth, others panicking as Casey fell in the pool. Before any of them could react, Jaime was already in the water, trying to help his cousin._

_Jaime took a deep breath before diving under the water, swimming down and grabbing Casey's hand, just as his cousin's eyes closed. _

_He was glad that, although they were roughly the same size, Casey was thinner and lighter than Jaime was; making it a little easier for him to swim to the surface. _

_As his head broke free of the water, Jaime breathed in fresh air, struggling to pull his cousin up from under the water. He felt a strong pair of arms close around him and looked up to see his dad at the edge of the pool, lifting him out. Casey's father was standing in the water now, pulling Casey out of the water._

_Jaime had barely realised he was crying, he was cold from the water, even though it was the middle of summer. He put a hand to his face, not hearing what the adults were saying as he felt the warms tears among the cold water that was dripping down his face. _

_He stared at Casey, hanging limp in his father's arms as he got out of the pool; as Jaime stared at him, he was reminded of the rag doll Hailey had in her room. _

"_Oh Jaime, you're such a good boy…" He remembered hearing his father say, but he was still looking at Casey, worried his cousin wouldn't wake up as his father laid him on the ground. Jaime hadn't known what it was called at the time, but Casey's dad started performing CPR, trying to get his son to breathe again._

_Then his father turned him around, kissing his forehead as he hugged him. Jaime looked over his dad's shoulder and saw his mum, holding Hailey in one arm as she told off Seth for what he'd done. Casey's mother was on her knees, sobbing as she watched her husband try to help their only child._

Jaime blinked, clearing his mind of the horrible memory. He'd been so relieved when he'd found out Casey would be ok. He cared about his cousin as if he was his younger brother; that experience had only made him more protective of him.


End file.
